This 44 year MARCH FOR LIFE movement is specifically about STOPPING the ABORTION of innocent babies, whether due to rape, incest, or an unplanned/unwanted pregnancy.

LIFE is about giving women the CHOICE to receive ALTERNATIVE information AND help; about overcoming the trauma pregnancy can bring, without encouraging the consequences of GUILT & REMORSE, which could result from the killing of a life through an abortion.

LIFE encourages women to seek help through PRO-LIFE CLINICS, which help them carry their baby to full term; with options to give the baby up for adoption; to those that have the means or desire to care for the child, OR helping them succeed as a single mom: completing school and higher education, finding gainful employment and daycare, but most of all, VALUING THE LIFE that was created as a part of her DNA, and allowing herself and the child to grow, and mature; to make a positive imprint on the world around them.

LIFE is about STOPPING Tax-payer funding of abortions through misinformation, coercion, and greed through the practices of The Planned Parenthood Clinics, and others.

“Quitting Takes Courage!” is a poster slogan seen on the platform of the video link, by abortion workers who QUIT assisting in the deplorable practice of killing innocent babies.

KNOW THE FACTS ABOUT PRO-LIFE, Know the Truth! CHOOSE LIFE & FIND FREEDOM!

MY REPLY TO BOB FROM WWW.SEEDTIME.COM:

“Though the tomato plants around us may be popping out some fruit, while we seem to wonder what is taking so long, our day will come.

God is doing a work and creating something in us that will be around long after the grass has come and gone.”

In 2007 my husband, Jim, and I were licensed and ordained as pastors. God gave us Isaiah 61:3 for our ministry name, but Psalm 1 is really important to us too. They’re both about how to be the BEST TREES WE CAN BE, and our website is ironically called http://www.treesright.com.

I LOVE LEARNING ABOUT TREES, and how God compares us to them in scripture. It’s interesting how I connected with you through Compassion International, and how I was encouraged this morning at 5 a.m. by your Devotional quote above.

It seems like my husband and I are FINALLY coming into a season of fruit bearing that we’ve never experienced before. And in this Jubilee year of 2016, it’s a RELIEF to see that The Lord is “RESTORING what the devouring locusts have eaten.” Patience in perseverance pays off in producing sturdy storm withstanding trees!

AND BOB’S FULL EMAIL LETTER WITH MORE GREAT TREE ANALOGIES:

On Friday, May 6, 2016, Bob | SeedTime <contact@seedtime.com> wrote:
This is an excerpt from Managing Money God’s Way that I’d like to share with you today. I hope it helps as much as it has helped me!

Why God’s Way Takes Longer

I was staring at a tree the other day just day-dreaming and kind of worrying about how long it was taking to get answers to prayer for a few issues in my life. I was reminded of…

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.

He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3

In my case I have been diligently trying not to “walk in the counsel of the wicked,” and it seems to be making my answers to prayer take even longer.

I have been earnestly trying to do things the right way, knowing full well that by cutting a few corners or compromising my values I could make the answers appear faster.

The major difference being that I can get mediocre answers doing it my way or the fruit God promises by doing it His way.

The prerequisite for our fruit bearing from Psalm 1 is that we:
– Do things God’s way
– Stay in the Word
If we do these two things, we have the promise that whatever we do will prosper and that we WILL bear fruit IN OUR SEASON.

Trees Grow Slowly

As I was staring at this tree I began to realize that trees grow slowly. You plant a seed for a tree and it takes a while to sprout and takes a while to grow to a decent size.

Grass and even plants, on the other hand, grow a lot faster. They sprout up quickly and sometimes you can even notice growth one day to the next.

Grass Grows Fast

Then it kind of hit me that God wants to make me “like a tree.” He isn’t interested in seeing rapid growth that will not make it to the next season and is ultimately unsustainable.

A tree, though it grows slowly, becomes a lot more sturdy and is able to withstand challenges that grass and plants can’t.

I am reminded of a storm we had last year that snapped my tomato plant right in half. The plant had grown to about 2.5 feet in a matter of months and was not strong enough to survive when the winds came.

God wants to make us strong and sturdy to withstand the storms in our lives.

Psalm 92:7

“That when the wicked sprouted up like grass and all who did iniquity flourished, it was only that they might be destroyed forevermore.”

Psalm 92:12

“The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, he will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.”

Trees Yield More Fruit

I am excited about the tomatoes that my plants will produce this summer, but even the best tomato plant would be lucky to produce 40 lbs of tomatoes in a season.

But mature apple trees can produce over 1000 lbs in a season.

The downside, of course, is that trees don’t bear fruit 3 months after you plant them like many vegetable plants will. Some trees will take a few years or even longer to bear fruit. I remember the frustration I had with this when I wanted apples from a new tree and learned that I may have to wait a while.

Patience seems to be a rare virtue in our society these days, but it is one that we ought to develop. God seems to like taking the long road with a lot of things and as I begin to see the reason behind it, it causes me to say, “huh, God really is smarter than I am.” ?

Becoming A Tree

It’s tough watching the grass sprout up all around you and seeing others bearing fruit when you have been faithfully doing what is right, but we must not be short-sighted. We need to try to look at these things the way God sees them.

Though the tomato plants around us may be popping out some fruit, while we seem to wonder what is taking so long, our day will come.

God is doing a work and creating something in us that will be around long after the grass has come and gone.

“And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.”

Galatians 6:9 (AMP)

Like I mentioned earlier that is an excerpt from the Devotional that I find that I still need to hear years after I wrote it, so I hope it helps you!

If you are interested finding out more about it or getting an audio or kindle version, head over here!

Bob

P.S. While the book sales do help me feed my family, we donate 34% of all profits to Compassion International: a great Christian organization changing lives. So if you pickup a copy, know that your dollars are impacting the world!

I was reviewing my writings in my Facebook NOTES. This one was a good reminder for me TODAY in a new SEASON OF BUSYNESS. I hope you are encouraged.

Guard your heart, and your JOY & PEACE.

Blessings,

Kathleen

“Jesus Hug”

Original post: January 24, 2012

When I notice days of passivity with Jesus, I have to stop, get quiet, and ask God to fill me up again. Sometimes I tend to spend my time praying for others, which is good, but I forget to ask God for a touch from Him. I mean actively.

I say, “God, what do you want to TELL me today?” Almost always He starts out with “I love you with an everlasting love.” (Which is from Jeremiah 31:3) It took me a while to receive those words. I guess I didn’t understand His love, and I didn’t feel worthy. But when I thank Him, and then wait for more, He gives me revelation; of His Word, his people, and my circumstances. He SHOWS me how He sees me, even in my daily struggles. (This is like Elementary School SHOW & TELL, from God personally shared with me).

Until I learned to receive God’s love, it was hard to love Him back. Well really, it was hard to love myself. And until I understood and received His love for me, and could actually LOVE “me,” it was very hard to fully love others, with the kind of love He talks about. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:28-31) This often involves forgiving someone 7 x 700 (I added an extra zero, taken from Matthew 18:22).

Otherwise, if we’re not careful, we might be doing good works, but they might be done out of duty and performance, to win others to us, to feel good about ourselves, to be accepted. It’s much better to “wait” and do something out of God’s presence, in time spent gleaning from Holy Spirit, and knowing we are doing something because He asked it of us. It avoids burnout when His grace is there.

Blessings to each of you as you fight the good fight, and go forth victorious in your day, with the Spirit of the Lord guiding you!

TRUE, we are not supposed to judge UNBELIEVERS because they have not yet surrendered their lives to Jesus, but we are called to judge the fruit of those that say they are Christian (Matthew 7:1-29), including OUR OWN FRUIT!

But, that doesn’t mean we’re to condemn them – that’s self-righteousness. Yet CONVICTION comes when the Holy Spirit draws us into truth, healing & cleansing us, and drawing us into deeper intimacy with our Daddy God and His living resurrected Son, Jesus.

FAMILIAR SPIRITS constantly war with our flesh. FOR ME it’s a

1) spirit of fear and anxiety – (trying to control the unknown),

2) a critical spirit – (forgetting to have GRACE, for myself & others, letting God do His work in me and them),

3) a spirit of distrust of others, or not trusting God – (because of the ABUSE that has been done to me over the years – sexually, mentally, verbally, and spiritually in the church), 4) a judgmental spirit – (quick to point out others’ sin, before looking at the sin in my own life that needs removal), 5) and a spirit of offense – (at those that don’t do or say what I want to see or hear.)

Yeah, “WE ALL SIN,” but we DON’T ALL KEEP ON SINNING. Once we say “YES” to Jesus, He lives inside us. That’s how He ENCOUNTERS US SO SUPERNATURALLY. Then we walk out our salvation, day by day, overcoming sin and gaining victory in Jesus.

We’re not meant to do this on our own. It’s a place of vulnerability and humility, with those that also struggle but have overcome, taking the road less traveled by the world – the NARROW ROAD – away from compromise and fence walking (one foot in the world, and one foot in Heaven).

How do we do that? By growing in deeper intimacy with God, rather than giving misplaced time and devotion to people and things. (Those “can” become idols.)

I am convicted of the struggles with MY OWN IDOLS of time wasters such as:

1) Busyness “for the sake of ministry,” though not necessarily what God wants me to involve my time with

2) Overindulgence in areas of food and entertainment

3) And codependent relationships – idolizing, concerned about, and devoted to my husband, grown children, and friendships, more than developing a deeper RELATIONSHIP with God, the ONE who made me, and knows me so intricately.

WE ARE ALL SEARCHING FOR LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE, but often in places, and in things, that are harmful and give only temporary relief. But we are deceived unless we RUN TO JESUS to heal those wounds, and fill that hole of hurt and loneliness that ONLY HE CAN FILL!

When life comes crashing down around us, it all comes down to two questions: “What is love?” and “What is obedience?” The Bible, God’s love letter to us, says “Perfect love casts out ALL fear.” (1 John 4:18) And “If you love Me, obey Me.” (John 14:15) Well, God is PERFECT LOVE, and obedience is your choice. Choose LIFE, and choose wisely.

Praying for the PEACE AND ASSURANCE of your Savior, to know and believe that HIS LOVE IS ENOUGH!

2) Take authority, in the name of Yeshua (Jesus), against the things you’re struggling with, knowing God has already conquered them at the cross for you, THROUGH Jesus.

3) Invite God’s warring and ministering angels to be with you.

4) Bind yourself to the truths of
God (and recite them), while you …

5) Loose yourself from the lies of the enemy that are the opposites of these truths (list them).

6) BLESS YOUR SPIRIT with biblical truths daily, telling your spirit to wake up and follow the leading of Holy Spirit, and commanding your soul (mind, will, and emotions), and your body to get in step BEHIND the leading of your spirit with Holy Spirit. (Proverbs 20:27) ﻿

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It’s all out WARFARE, but He who is in you is GREATER than he who is in the world.

However, you must activate your faith by using the spiritual muscles and weapons (tools) God has given you.

REMEMBER the power and attributes of God’s armor on you in Ephesians 6:11, declare scriptures out loud until they become a reality, and praise God and thank Him, calling on His name.

Fight the good fight, mighty warrior, which wins a crown for eternity!